The Bangladesh sustainability compact: An effective tool for promoting workers’ rights?

Abstract

The impetus for the Bangladesh Sustainability Compact was the Rana Plaza industrial disaster, which took the lives of roughly 1,200 garment workers and injured twice. The Compact required the fulfilment of several time-bound commitments by the Bangladesh government in two key areas—labour law reform and protection of the right to freedom of association and ensuring fire and building safety. The EU heralded the Compact as an innovative, multilateral approach to encourage its trade partners to comply with ILO core labour rights. The editors of this issue of Politics and Governance asked the contributing authors to examine effectiveness of trade and labour standards and to consider alternative mechanisms to advance workers’ rights. Specifically, they queried whether the Compact could be considered a new and effective alternative model. This hope appears misplaced.